Auberge du Petit Prince, the Real Story

My name is Gina (a.k.a. Ginette) Bisaillon (that's me on the left in the photo, above) and along with my business partner, Robin Askew, I founded the Auberge du Petit Prince, in its present location, on King Street, in London (Ontario), back in June 1972.

We ran it from 1972 until 1979, when we sold it to Chris Squire, who was then my sous-chef.

Two years ago, I discovered that the present owners claimed that the restaurant was started in 1980. Why?

I asked them to correct this error, but they said it was too expensive. I offered to pay for the change, but they kept ignoring me. (If I wanted to guess how successful the restaurant was under their management, I could deduce that nobody is eating there. I mean, they couldn't afford a $50 expense?)

I didn't ask them to give me credit or anything, just to correct the year. Just to change two numbers! I felt both disappointed and deeply hurt by their contempt.

That's why I felt it necessary to create this chronicle.

I'm 40 years older now, I have had an interesting career as a chef-owner in Montreal, in London and in Mexico, but none of my accomplishments has ever had a sentimental value like that first little restaurant.

A lot of love went into the creation of that business and I found it extremely upsetting to see those years completely wiped out of its history.

Even the name "Auberge du Petit Prince" ("Inn of the Little Prince") -- a tribute to the great Antoine de Saint-Exupéry -- was entirely my idea. That name continued to be used until 1996, when it was changed to a new owner's name, and again, in 2002. But in 2006, when the restaurant changed hands again, the new owners decided to capitalize on the excellent reputation of the original name, and named their new enterprise Auberge du Petit Prince again.

The Auberge, as everyone called it right from the start, was my "baby" and I gave it seven years of my life, but with one stroke of the keyboard those insensitive people had erased them - poof!

And I can prove it!

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(NOTE: What is it about that restaurant that encourages people to make up stories? On his website, Mr. Squire claims he started working there in 1971 (one year before it opened!) and that he bought the restaurant in 1976! He also claims that he closed it in 1997, which is also untrue. He sold it.

Another story that went around for a while was that I paid the waitresses only the minimum wage. That one was particularly insulting because the ex-employee who started this false rumour was someone I had hired knowing she believed that waiting on tables was beneath her, but she was a friend and I had given her the job even though I did not need additional staff at that time, because she was going through some financial hardship.)